Memories
by nutella and a pencil
Summary: "You ever wish we could freeze moments like this forever? So that whenever you feel hopelessly lost you can return here?" Percy and Annabeth return from Tartarus, bruised, battered, with scars that will never leave. But some scars are harder to see than others. My entry for PJatO shipweek. Please read and review! oneshot


**A/N: My entry for PJO ship week. I missed the rest of it, but I got the Percabeth one in at least.**

**Disclaimer: I disclaim**

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_"We'll get out of Tartarus, safe and sound", he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. _

_"Yeah, right" she thought. _

They had gotten out of Tartarus, but safe and sound was another story. Nico was the only one who knew what horrors were there where nothing existed but a horrible, horrible emptiness. And chaos. Nothing but chaos. Annabeth had a particularly hard time being a child of Athena. Her organized thought process had no place in Tartarus. Percy on the other hand, while more physically hurt, had kept his sanity. The ocean was chaotic, and Tartarus was chaotic. It takes you where you want to go and there is no choice about it. If you force it, you will lose sight of everything you want, everything you need. Annabeth got the brunt of it. Whoever said an organized mind can still work in chaos has never been in Tartarus. Never faced the sheer force of the chaos. There is no order, no pattern, no design. It will not only force your hand, but break off your fingers and shove it into your face again.

_Annabeth would break into tears every so often, crying about things he couldn't see. Things nobody could see. Things that were only in her head. He watched her argue with herself in the dark cavernous hell that was Tartarus._

_"Percy, Percy, don't leave, don't leave, where are you going?" she screamed in sheer desperation at the shadows in her mind._

Tartarus does that to you. It twists your thoughts and shows you things no one should ever have to see.

Annabeth and Percy left Tartarus looking several years older. Their clothes were torn and Percy's sword was drawn and dripping with reddish-purple blood with specks of gold monster dust. It was rarely in pen form, even now. Annabeth just looked lost. And haunted. She kept a desperate hold onto Percy's sleeve and whispered barely audible words that only Percy could hear.

Even after a week, she would only talk to Percy. Everyone tried to talk with her. Except Percy, who just sat next to her and held her hand. Percy felt like screaming at everyone who tried to reason with her, everyone who could not understand why she wasn't talking, not doing anything, not boring everyone to death with facts about architecture, not making plans about anything.

_In the last moments when she still knew where she was, who she was, she smiled at Percy, a genuine smile. She touched the wound on Percy's arm and whispered, "It's up to you now" _

_She kissed his forehead, and a few seconds later, she pulled away, with a quizzical look in her eyes, as if wondering why she had done that. _

Percy traced one of the scars on her cheek. She was healing. She would have physical scars all over her, but Percy could not care less. They had literally just been through hell. What should a few scars matter? Her mental scars were far, far worse and were not going to be healed any time soon. She barely remembered who she was, let alone who he was. She spent most of her time asleep, and when she did wake up, she smiled confusedly at everything and stared blankly at his face. Occasionally she would speak, but it would only be gibberish and sometimes an actual word. He was slowly losing his grip. There is only so much healing that can be done when your soul mate does not know who you are. When no one was looking, Percy would cry silently and let his tears fall from his eyes. Then he would stop. He had to be a strong, fearless leader. He had to be strong enough for both of them.

_They were facing a giant dung beetle who called himself Agrios and claimed to be the last giant. Under less horrible circumstances, Percy would have laughed at the sheer stupidity of the situation. He turned slightly to grin at Annabeth, when suddenly, the beetle charge. To be honest, Percy should have expected it. The beetle's mandibles were dripping with blood and spit and greenish poison. He seriously needed some mouthwash, too. Percy drew Riptide and slashed one of the beetle's mandibles off. The beast merely foamed at him a bit. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw one of Agrios' legs move towards him. It was serrated with sharp, knife-like spikes. Percy narrowly dodged the leg, and failed to notice the insect's mouth. He turned around in time to see Agrios bite something else and throw it across the room. Percy only saw red after that, and after that scattered golden dust. He rushed to Annabeth's side. _

_"Please be okay, you have to be okay, please, please" He whispered it over and over, like a prayer._

_The wound ran from her right shoulder to the small of her back. It was already starting to fester and a greenish yellow crust was forming on the wound. Percy carefully dripped a little nectar onto the wound. She smiled painfully at him._

Percy rarely left Annabeth's bed for weeks. He clung to all the memories he had of her. Her glare when Percy disturbed her while she was reading. The way she gestured wildly with her arms when trying to explain something that interested her. The way she laughed teasingly and whacked him with a blueprint when he zoned out as she tried to show him her plans for Olympus. Her smile when she watched Percy animatedly argue with Blackjack. She was so empty now. Her focus was absent. She would smile so often now. While Percy loved to make Annabeth smile, this wasn't her. You had to work hard to make the real her lose concentration to grace you with a smile. There was no joy anymore when you saw her grin. She was smiling at nothing, so was she really happy?

_Percy pushed Annabeth out of the canoe into the lake after the canoe race. They had won obviously. I mean, they had the son of Poseidon for Zeus's sake. Annabeth laughed and splashed water onto Percy's face. He just grinned smugly at her from the canoe because he was still totally dry. Annabeth suddenly went under. Percy looked over the edge of the boat._

_"Annabeth! Annabeth! C'mon, come out now, I know you're fine!"_

_The canoe suddenly tipped over, and Percy fell into the lake. Percy came up spluttering, so surprised he got wet. Annabeth laughed from the other side of the canoe. _

_"You have seaweed in your hair!"_

_Percy laughed too and modeled a pose._

_"You like?"_

_Percy pulled Annabeth under the water and burst out laughing at the sight of her gasping._

_"PERCY! I'M GONNA KILL -"_

_He stopped her words with a kiss._

_"You ever wish we could freeze moments like this forever? So that whenever you feel hopelessly lost you can return here?"_

_"Enough with this philosophical stuff Wise girl, we've gotta go to the Big House!"_

_"I'm surprised you actually know what philosophical means"_

_"Hey!"_

Maybe you could disappear into memories if you tried hard enough

Months passed, and Annabeth was still not at 100%. She still lay in her bed most of the time. She now spoke a little, and talked a bit with people other than Percy. She still lived in her own little world and clawed at the monsters of her own fragile reality. Percy wandered off more. He no longer had to keep it together for the sake of the quest. He stopped talking except to read Annabeth some of her old architecture books. He rarely left Annabeth's side.

_It was a breezy summer afternoon and Annabeth insisted on staying inside to find ideas for the rebuilding of Olympus. And she dragged Percy in with her. _

_"Look here," she pointed at an article in her book, "Grecian pillars are not only pleasing to the eye, but also are great support structures. They can be used to line the entrance of a garden or to add a Greek touch to any place. The main structure is ridged and the bases can either be molded or smooth. In some cases, it can be shaped into animals or figures. Percy, don't you think that it would be great for the Muses' stage?"_

_Percy looked up from the stick figure Zeus he was drawing on the smart board._

_"Huh?"_

_"You weren't listening were you? Percy?"_

_Percy pulled her in for a chaste kiss._

_"I have no idea what you just said"_

_Annabeth hit him over the head with her book._

"Hey Annabeth, you probably can't hear me, and even if you can, you probably don't know who I am. But anyways, the Annabeth I knew used to love architecture so here you go."

Percy started reading from a well-worn section of one of her favorite books, "Greek buildings. The rectangular temple is the most common and best-known form of Greek public architecture. The temple did not serve the same function as a modern church, since the altar stood under the open sky in the temenos or sacred precinct, often directly before the temple. "

Percy glanced back at Annabeth. "Are you listening Annabeth?"

Percy continued, "Temples served as the location of a cult image and as a storage place or strong room for the treasury associated with the cult of the god in question, and as a place for devotees of the god to leave their votive offerings, such as statues, helmets and weapons. The temple was generally part of a religious precinct known as the acropolis. Small circular temples, Tholos were also constructed, as well as small temple-like buildings that served as treasuries. The most iconic feature of Greek architecture is Greek pillars. Grecian pillars are not only pleasing to the eye, but also are great support structures. They can be used to line the entrance to a garden or to add a Greek touch to any place. The main structure is ridged and the bases can either be molded or -"

Percy's voice cracked and trembled, until he finally stopped. He rested his head on his hands.

"Annabeth, I can't do this anymore. Please, please come back. I need you. Not this you. The real you. The one that doesn't smile at nothing and is obsessed with everything book-related. The one who can kick my butt anywhere at any time. The one who always, always has a plan. The one who – the one who is you." Tears slowly dripped off his nose onto her bed. Annabeth stared quizzically at the growing wet spot on her pillow.

"I love you"

Annabeth just smiled and then touched one of the tears on his cheek. Percy smiled. Maybe she was getting better! And then she licked her finger and laughed. Percy shook his head disgustedly and walked back to the door. "What was I expecting? Honestly, I'm setting myself up for fail-"

"Percy, I love you too."

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**A/N: This one didn't really turn out that great, but whatevs. Um…do you know what a beta is? Review and tell me how it is! It's kinda sappy too. Huh. Shrugs shoulders and smiles.**


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